Clippers vs. Nuggets Predictions
The Los Angeles Clippers visit the Denver Nuggets in an intriguing Western Conference clash on Tuesday night.
The Clippers are in eighth place in the West, 6.5 games behind the Nuggets, who are in a close fight with the Mavericks and Timberwolves in order to avoid the play-in tournament. Here’s a complete breakdown, including betting odds and free NBA picks.
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Denver Nuggets
Tuesday, March 22, 2022 – 10:00 PM EDT at Ball Arena
The Nuggets opened at -5.5 at BetOnline and this sportsbook set the total at 220.5 in their NBA odds board. FiveThirtyEight has the Nuggets as 9-point home favorites, projecting them to win 81 percent of the time. Should we back the home team laying points or hammer the total?
Depleted Clippers and Nuggets are Having a Tough Time Lately
The Clippers’ (36-37 SU and ATS) only win in their last five games came against the Pistons, with losses to the Hawks, Cavaliers, Raptors and Jazz. LA was able to be competitive on most of those losses but with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard still out, they’ve just ran out of firepower.
Ivica Zubac recently averaged 20.7 points, 13.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.7 blocks over a three-game stretch but he’s scored just 11 points in his last two games, including nine on Friday’s 121-92 road loss against the Jazz.
Another key performer has been Marcus Morris, who averaged 23.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists over four games before scoring just five points on 1 of 4 shooting in 14 minutes against the Jazz. The Clippers need much better performances from Zubac and Morris in order to put up a fight in Denver.
The Nuggets (42-30 SU, 32-39-1 ATS) have been very inconsistent, they lost against the Warriors and Raptors, turned things around to beat the 76ers and Wizards and then dropped two straight against the Cavaliers and Celtics.
Nikola Jokic has been incredible, averaging 30.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.3 steals in his last nine games but with Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. still out, the Nuggets have lacked consistent second and third options.
This has hurt them at the end of games. Will Barton can fill that role but he struggled on Sunday’s 124-104 home loss against the Celtics, scoring just eight points on 3 of 10 shooting in 24 minutes.
Prediction
I’m looking at the Under in this game, both teams are missing talented scorers and they rank 11th and 12th in points allowed per game. The Nuggets rank 23rd in the league in pace, averaging 98.9 possessions per game while the Clippers are just 26th in the NBA, averaging 106.0 points per 100 possessions. Enjoy the game and find more NBA picks here.
NBA Pick: Under 220.5 (-115) at BetOnline